Cranberries

Cranberries - refers to the fruit.

In Latin name: Oxycóccus

In English name: Cranberries

Treat the family: Ericaceae — Ericaceae

Used in the home of the cranberry: fruit, leaves, shoots

Botanical description: Weakly branched creeping evergreen shrub, 15-30 cm tall thin, dark-brown stems with floral, ascending branches. Pubescent young branches. Leaves (length of about 5-16 mm and a width of about 2-6 mm) are alternate, ovate or oblong, subacute, skinny, short, and the plate on top of shiny, dark green, slightly whitish waxy coating from. Flowers drooping, located one to four at the end of last year's shoots. Long, pubescent pedicels, with two pointed bracts. Calyx with four ciliated on the edge, rounded sepals, at first green, then red. Whisk kolesopodobny (up to 7 mm long, 1, 2 mm wide), with a pink-red exterior curved, oblong-lanceolate lobes. Eight stamens, with short dilated, hairy filaments, the lower the ovary, one pistil.

Cranberry fruit eaten both fresh and processed in the form of syrups, juices, jams, jellies, fillings, extraction, fruit candy, products like «cranberry in sugar.» They are trained as sauces, condiments to various dishes, tea and coffee substitutes. They are also used in the sauerkraut. Pectin substances contained in the berries betray pastry pleasant flavor and high quality.

The fruits cranberries covered with a waxy coating that prevents rotting berries, and with the help of benzoic acid may be stored very long period (up to 10 months) in fresh form. Waste from the production of juices and extracts of cranberry used for the manufacture of high-quality dyes and pectin. In folk medicine, they are used for hypertension and reduced gastric acidity. And extract the juice from the berries of a cranberry drink as antifebrile and vitamin remedy. The leaves are used in asthma, berries and leaves — for metabolic disorders, anemia years — as a means of anti-scorbutic.

Benefits of Cranberries

Juice made from cranberries perfectly helps in treating all types of dermatitis. Scientists have shown that cranberry juice has great anti-bactericidal action against a putrid pus and microorganisms.

Scientific evidence shows that cranberry juice from the fruit of great benefit for patients who had surgery, as it has the ability to accelerate the healing of purulent wounds and superficial burns.

In alternative medicine is not recommended for use only cranberries, but also its shoots and leaves. Leaf decoction is wonderful for rheumatism and salt deposits. Also cranberry broth is used for sore throat, to gargle, as well as any colds. The use of cranberry juice helps fight fine Helicobacter (harmful germs) that can cause peptic ulcer pain gastrointestinal tract. For the treatment of cystitis and pyelonephritis doctors recommend that patients eat a lot of cranberry juice.

Harm cranberries

Despite the many useful properties of cranberries, should not be abused in her hand. Medical experts warn that excessive use of cranberries in the food people suffering from gastritis or any other liver disease is contraindicated. Drinking cranberry is also contraindicated for people who are often tormented by heartburn. Included in the cranberry acids have the ability to irritate the lining of the stomach and duodenum, which undoubtedly causes great harm to human body.

Dentists do not recommend that people with weakened enamel eating cranberries, because this berry has the ability to destroy it.

Cranberries juice

For the preparation of cranberry juice at home you will need just 1.2 liters of oxen, one cup of cranberries and a bit of sugar (0.5 cups).

In the manufacture of fruit drinks should be thoroughly rinsed cranberries and bust, and then crush the e wooden spoon. All that remains after pressing need to add water and boil well. The resulting broth, you need to drain and add to it the juice and sugar to taste. After that, our drink is ready for consumption.

Cranberries jelly

How do you cook cranberry jelly? To do this we will need 100 grams of cranberries, four tablespoons of sugar, a little starch, and of course water — 3 cups.

To prepare the delicious cranberry jelly should carefully sort out the berries and wash with cold water. Next, you need to stretch the berries in a bowl of non-oxidizing wooden pestle. The resulting juice to be drained in a porcelain cup and covered, to put it in a cool place. The rest mass, which we still had to put in a pot and fill with hot water, then it all boil for 10 minutes.

In the resulting broth is poured sugar and boil again, taking off from the surface of the formed foam.

Pre-cooked starch, diluted with water and the remaining broth. In the berry syrup, boiling, pour the starch and stir continuously while, bringing to a boil.

Then, in an almost ready-made pudding before adding chilled juice. Spill finished pudding into the prepared dish.